Nothing else damages the earth's environment more than our cities.
As the world's population has grown, our cities have burgeoned, and
their impact on the environment worsened. Meanwhile, from the
isolated, gated communities within Houston and Los Angeles, to the
millions of residents of Bombay living in squalor, the city has
failed to serve its ideal function--as the cradle of civilization,
the engine of culture, and the inspiration for community and
citizenship. In "Cities for a Small Planet," Sir Richard Rogers,
one of the world's leading architects and the designer of the
Pompidou Center in Paris, demonstrates how future cities could
provide the springboard for restoring humanity's harmony with its
environment.Rogers outlines the disastrous impact cities have had
and will continue to have on our world, from waste-saturated Tokyo
Bay, to the massive plumes of pollution caused by London's traffic,
to the depleted water resources of Mexico City. He traces these
problems to the underlying social and cultural values that create
them--unchecked commercial zeal, selfish individualism, and a lack
of community. Bringing to bear concepts such as that of
"open-minded" space--places within cities that serve multiple
functions such as markets, parks, and sidewalk cafes--he explains
how urban design can be used to give citizens a sense of shared
experience. The city built with comfortable and safe public space
can bring diverse groups together and breed a sense of tolerance,
awareness, identity, and mutual respect. He calls for a new
theoretical shift in the way cities do business and interact with
the environment, arguing that many products come to market and are
sold without figuring their social or environmental cost.Rogers
goes on to describe the city of the future: one that is sustainable
within its own environment; that can make a positive impact on its
surroundings; that encourages communication among its citizens;
that is compact and focused around neighborhoods; and that is
beautiful, a city whose buildings and spaces spark the creative
potential of its inhabitants.As our population grows larger, our
planet grows smaller. "Cities for a Small Planet" is a passionate
and eloquent blueprint for the cities we must create in response,
cities that provide for the needs of both their residents and the
earth on which they live.
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